Friday, April 17, 2015

About Jordan Spieth

There are probably very few of you that haven't heard about the 21 year old that won the Masters this past weekend. Jordan Spieth is being called a champion on and off the course, and I am drawn to him because of his love for his sister.

Jordan has a younger sister, Ellie, who is on the autism spectrum. He calls her incredible, funny, and his inspiration. Jordan's mom has spoken about how Ellie's dinnertime tantrums taught her son about REAL life.

Well, that struck a chord.

How many times has G sat and watched Joshua throw major, head banging tantrums over what seems to us (non-spectrum folks) to be nothing? At the beginning it would scare him, especially if it was in the night. G went through a phase where he would cry too, in sadness for Joshua, I think. Usually I would huddle with him and pray. The tantrums don't seem to effect him in this way anymore. And at least recently, the major tantrums have been few and far between. But what is G thinking inside? How does he feel watching Joshua struggle to communicate, unable to use words at this point?

Joe and I do not want our kids to have it easy. (We) They already have it really good living in America, having a free education, plenty to eat and good healthcare. And feelings of entitlement run rampant through suburbia. What is going to ground them? I've mentioned before that I believe it is the trials and struggles the Lord allows us to walk through that we grow as people. And while we don't know all that's ahead, we've seen glimpses of what might teach our kids some helpful life lessons.

For G, we thought he would mainly be effected by the diagnosis of an ectopic pituitary gland. We've always believed that as he gets older and matures, his dependence on a daily shot to grow taller and for his body to function properly, will humble him. And though the journey to figuring out G's body was long and hard, thankfully, the fix is easy. So it was easy to champion this idea of him having a "hard" thing in his life.

But Joshua's challenges are not an easy fix. And I will tell you that from the beginning we have taken great comfort in the fact that Joshua will teach our entire family and be a blessing to others. I think we especially hope that it will do a great work in Baby A and G. From an early age they will observe plenty of "real life" as Jordan Spieth's mom puts it. They will have to go the extra mile to communicate with their brother and show him grace. And Joshua will have to learn to show us a lot of grace when we can't understand his way of thinking. Oh, that we would let our challenges with each other build character instead of animosity! I pray that Joshua, through his own struggles, will have a soft heart. And then, as the kids have happy times together, they will be able to enjoy each other and appreciate their differences.

Thank you, Jordan, for being vocal about what a blessing your sister is. It makes this mama smile with hope.